Eek

Here's the thing about forbidden foods: most of them are disgusting anyway, but I wonder if that is simply a psychological conditioning process that helped our ancestors overcome the temptation to eat what was forbidden (though, really, how much effort do you need to put into not eating worms?) Take the worst offender: Mention a plate of bacon to a devout Jew and he or she will probably gag. And yet most of the world considers bacon an excellent and very yummy food. So it's not a natural human response but a learned reflex. By the same token, if you mention dog meat to anyone in the western world, they will not only gag but get angry at the very idea of eating Lassie. But in the far east you can get this dish at any street corner. So I am forced to conclude that food is more in our minds than in our metabolism. 

Now why am I discussing disgusting foods? Because in VaYikra chapter 11, verse 22 it says that Jews can eat the arbeh. You know, the eighth plague. A delicacy, I'm sure. 

It makes me shudder to think just how hungry one needs to be in order to eat insects. Oy. And yet this is a kosher food. Maybe G-d knew that there will be times when food will be so scarce that we will have to eat the arbeh or go hungry. 

My sister and her family celebrated their seder in the desert. They built a fire and baked their own matzah (she said it's much harder to do this within the specified time limit than she imagined) and sprawled on the soft dunes under a succah made of date palm's fronds and a canopy of a million stars and the old story became alive for them that night. My oldest child was extremely jealous. She thought we were the cat's pajamas because we had a Harry Potter themed seder and then her cousins trumped her. There is no pleasing teenagers. But then, we all know that.

Anyway, on their way to the desert, their car was coated with yellow insects. You guessed it. Arbeh. Israel has been plagued by the eighth plague this past month and apparently they really are numerous. It lent an extra layer to the seder, literally. Since most of her family is vegetarian, they avoided eating the pests (I mean the insects, not my niece and nephews...). And, luckily for the residents of Israel, today we have ways and means of overcoming the devastation that locusts bring to the crops (thereby creating the need for humans to eat them).

So now you think I am going to give a recipe for locusts. Not quite. What is green, a bit elongated, about the size of a locust and has the population divided into two clear groups about its texture and flavor? Okra. I hate okra. Many people do. But hubby, his family and many others absolutely adore it. So out of the goodness of my heart, I will share a simple recipe for okra and you are free to gag or gobble.


Okra stew

1 pound okra (fresh or frozen - you will need to cook the fresh a little longer)
3 Tbs vegetable oil
20 stalks of green garlic (this is fresh young garlic. If you can't find it substitute 12-15 scallions and 3-4 crushed garlic cloves)
4 ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated
1 Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Juice of one medium lemon
1 tsp sugar
4-5 cups water
5 stalks of fresh mint, chopped (you can use another fresh herb instead but it won't taste as perky)
(2 pounds cubed meat - optional, see note at the end)

Soak the okra in water for 20 minutes. Drain and trim ends.
In a wide pot heat oil and cook garlic, tomatoes and tomato paste for a minute or two, stirring constantly.
Add salt, pepper, sugar , lemon juice and water. Bring to a boil.
Add okra, stir, reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered for about half an hour or until okra is soft enough to be easily pierced with fork.
Sprinkle with mint and serve warm.

Note: this is fine as is but can be served as main dish if you add the meat (beef, lamb or chicken). You will need to first cook the meat by itself for about an hour (45 minutes for chicken), covered in water. Then add to tomato sauce when you add the okra and continue as above.

With the meat it will serve 8 people. As a vegetarian side dish it will serve 10.



As I said, food is yummy or disgusting more by our early conditioning than by its real flavor, texture or nutritional value.

And yet. Bugs? really? Eek.